Statue of Thomas Edison coming to US Capitol

Congressional leaders will dedicate a statue of the inventor on Sept. 21 as part of the collection of statues that sit in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall and in other locations around the building.

Each state gets two statues. Edison will represent Ohio, where he was born.

Edison was chosen in a vote at historic sites around Ohio in 2010, winning narrowly over aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright. The bronze statue of Edison holding a light bulb will replace one of Gov. William Allen, who supported Southern slave owners.

The Ohio General Assembly and Gov. John Kasich decided to recall the statue of Allen in 2012. Allen served in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate before becoming Ohio’s 31st governor in 1874.